Sunday, May 04, 2003
Sunday, May 04, 2003 |
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Racing : Motor
On a warm, humid day, Schumacher timed 1:17.762s on the 4.73km Circuit de Catalunya with the new-model Ferrari F2003-GA. Last season, Schumacher earned the pole position in 1:16.364s and went on to win the race. The last time he didn't have pole position here was in 1999. Second was Ferrari teammate Rubens Barrichello at 1:18.020s. Third was Renault's rising star Fernando Alonso in 1:18.233s. He became the youngest to gain a pole position in Formula-1 at the Malaysian GP. Jarno Trulli, continuing Renault's success this year, was fourth in 1:18.615s. Using the F2002 model, Schumacher won the last F-1 race at San Marino two weeks ago. He has won the last two Spanish GP races and four overall since 1995, including his first as a Ferrari driver in 1996. It was his 53rd career pole position and third this season. Unlike the last few races, Michael Schumacher has been feeling comfortable in his new car, which is sure to make his rivals uneasy. ``I feel very comfortable in the car and after a good start it means we can be confident for the rest of the weekend,'' Schumacher said. ``It's a nice feeling to be racing the new car.'' The new Ferrari model F2003-GA, named after the late Gianni Agnelli who ran Fiat, the parent company of Ferrari, had its first official outing after a few crashes delayed its debut. ``We are very happy to have the new car finally here,'' Schumacher said. ``You can say it is a beautiful piece of art, obviously. We look forward to making it another winning car.'' Comparing it to the old F2002 model, Schumacher said the new car `goes faster' and is a `more complete package.' McLaren's Raikkonen will start in the pit lane as a result of not completing a lap. He went into the gravel after missing a turn and then went directly into the pits and did not record a time. However, his team will be able to work on the car while the other cars will be impounded until the start of the race. McLaren can now change fuel loads and tyres and play with its strategy. Under the new qualifying rules, the drivers had just one lap to post a time to determine the starting grid for Sunday's race. The drivers went out in reverse order from the standings of Friday's pre-qualifying, where Schumacher had the top time. Teams will not be able to add fuel or change tyres until the race begins on Sunday. This has affected the standings, as there have been four different winners in the first four races of the season for the first time since 1983. Schumacher, the five-time defending champion, lies third in the driver standings with 18 points from four races, trailing leader Raikkonen by 14 points, and the Finn's McLaren teammate David Coulthard by a point.
FIA cancels ban on
traction control
Formula-1's governing body, the FIA, announced on Friday that the ban on traction control scheduled to start in 2004 will be scrapped. The ban on electronic driver aids, announced by International Automobile Federation president Max Mosley as part of a range of new rules in January, was proposed in an effort to cut escalating costs in the sport and to increase the entertainment value. But following a meeting with the team chiefs at Imola, on April 17, and a subsequent discussion including the team technical directors last Tuesday, the FIA conceded the proposal was not viable. ``The teams were able to demonstrate that the elimination of traction control would involve very significant additional costs for all teams and engine manufacturers,'' the FIA explained in a statement. ``The teams therefore unanimously requested the FIA not to proceed with a ban on traction control for 2004.'' The teams unanimously agreed to ban automatic gearboxes and launch control from the start of 2004 and also promised the FIA that manufacturers will make engines available to smaller teams as part of the agreement. The statement added: ``The FIA agreed on the clear understanding that this would enable the engine manufacturers to supply the independent teams with engines at a fully affordable cost. ``The FIA agreed that, provided engines are supplied on this basis, these arrangements will remain in place indefinitely.'' The full extent of the new rules were discussed in the meetings and the FIA declared that a ban on car-to-pit telemetry will also be cancelled because it would cost more to implement than it would save. Teams will still be forced to use one engine per race next season, with any engine change costing them ten places on the grid, but proposals for multi-race engines could be scrapped. This proposed ruling had caused concern for several of the sport's top manufacturers and one, Renault, issued a threat to pull out of the sport if it was accepted. The FIA will, however, only withdraw their multi-race engine proposals for 2005 and 2006 if `fully affordable engines are available to teams from 2004 onwards.' They also insisted that they will `ensure a single wet weather tyre capable of being used effectively on a wet track is clearly defined within the regulations' for next year after heavy rain caused controversy in Brazil earlier this year. — AP, AFP
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